Shakespeare 2.0: The bard on the screen

CaptionShakespeare 2.0: The bard on the screen

From left to right, "Coriolanus" (The Weinstein Company), "Merchant of Venice" (Sony Pictures Classics), "The Tempest" (Tempest Production, LLC)

By Susan King / Aaron Williams / Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Traditional or not traditional? That is the question when directors mount productions of William Shakespeare's plays. Over the decades, theater, movies and even television versions of the Bard's plays have defied convention, some turning them into musicals, samurai action thrillers, films noir and modern-day dramas. Go back as far as MGM's all-star "The Hollywood Revue of 1929," and you'll find Norma Shearer and John Gilbert performing the balcony love scene from "Romeo and Juliet" in the slang of the day, including pig Latin. Click through the gallery to view films inspired by Shakespeare's works.

By Susan King / Aaron Williams / Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Traditional or not traditional? That is the question when directors mount productions of William Shakespeare's plays. Over the decades, theater, movies and even television versions of the Bard's plays have defied convention, some turning them into musicals, samurai action thrillers, films noir and modern-day dramas. Go back as far as MGM's all-star "The Hollywood Revue of 1929," and you'll find Norma Shearer and John Gilbert performing the balcony love scene from "Romeo and Juliet" in the slang of the day, including pig Latin. Click through the gallery to view films inspired by Shakespeare's works. (From left to right, "Coriolanus" (The Weinstein Company), "Merchant of Venice" (Sony Pictures Classics), "The Tempest" (Tempest Production, LLC))

"The Avengers" director Joss Whedon is switching from comic books to classic English literature. Whedon's first release from his micro-studio Bellwether will be an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," which Whedon shot in 12 days on location in Santa Monica, Calif. The film is scheduled to be released this year.

"The Avengers" director Joss Whedon is switching from comic books to classic English literature. Whedon's first release from his micro-studio Bellwether will be an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," which Whedon shot in 12 days on location in Santa Monica, Calif. The film is scheduled to be released this year. (Matt Sayles / AP)